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Jedi_Learner

Liturgist
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
894
I don't know why I deleted my account and my FAQ. :? I don't even know why I hate you so much Vault Dweller. What is going on?

Edit: And this was just before I went for professional help.
 

TheLostOne

Savant
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
770
Location
Limbo
You need a father figure.

VD can't be yours, though. That path would only lead to destruction.

I hope you find peace... in this life, or the next.
 

Jedi_Learner

Liturgist
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
894
I am a freak. I hate myself, I guess that's why I've been cutting myself of late. Maybe I should step away from my computer for a few weeks, and get some help? I've been crying for the last few minutes and I don't know why. Perhaps I should get a job and stop hiding in my bedroom on my parents expense for the last year, it can get very lonely at times. I'm sorry everyone, I shouldn't be doing this. After posting this I'll unplug my computer and try to get help.

I wish you all the best. I'm sorry. Goodbye for now. :cry:
 

VonVentrue

Cipher
Patron
Joined
Jul 16, 2007
Messages
814
Location
HPCE
Divinity: Original Sin Wasteland 2
Somehow, I can't shake the feeling that he indeed suffers from some emotional problems which could require medical attention...
 

Hory

Erudite
Joined
Oct 1, 2003
Messages
3,002
cardtrick said:
I swear, Jedi is the most unique poster I've ever run across. After a while on the internet, you sort of feel like there's nothing new under the sun . . . but Jedi's particular brand of schizophrenia is one of a kind.
True, he is a breath of fresh air in a sea of predictability.
 

cardtrick

Arbiter
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
1,456
Location
Maine
I hope we someday discover Jedi is a 40-year-old housewife who's never so much as looked at an RPG, and is just fucking with us.
 

spacemoose

Erudite
Joined
Jan 22, 2005
Messages
9,632
Location
california
@jedilearner you should remember to take your meds. even if they make you feel strange. or one day you'll end up an hero
 

Jedi_Learner

Liturgist
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
894
cardtrick said:
I hope we someday discover Jedi is a 40-year-old housewife...

A sexual fantasy of yours? Tell me your home address, and I'll come down and rape your virgin arsehole. :D
 

Hory

Erudite
Joined
Oct 1, 2003
Messages
3,002
Spacemoose said:
@jedilearner you should remember to take your meds. even if they make you feel strange. or one day you'll end up an hero
Maybe he can't afford them anymore. Did you think of that, you meanie?
 

Cassidy

Arcane
Joined
Sep 9, 2007
Messages
7,922
Location
Vault City
All this discussion on team management just reminded me of how Epic Megagames started. Before Unreal release in 1998 it was basically a 3-persons team which developed action arcade games, and technically an indie company. After Unreal release, its success and also the success of its Engine led it to became a major game company. Of course only few which brought great ideas or technologies had success on progressing from 3-persons teams to large companies. It won't matter if Age of Decadence is released on Thursday or Friday, what matters is if it manages to hit the "indie spotlight" and draw millions of Fallout/Planescape/Arcanum fans. One of the latest indie devs to do that was Introversion Software with its Darwinia, which despite Retro "last-gen" graphics, had managed to conquer a sizeable fanbase and even got critically acclaimed by some mainstream publications.
 

OccupatedVoid

Arbiter
Joined
Sep 4, 2006
Messages
1,846
Location
East Texas
Jedi_Learner said:
A sexual fantasy of yours? Tell me your home address, and I'll come down and rape your virgin arsehole. :D
I'm sure Blackheart would be happy to give you this information.
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2002
Messages
2,443
Location
The Lone Star State
Haven't been keeping up as much lately, but listen to obediah, seriously. When you start redoing city layouts, you're hitting diminishing returns on your work and it's time to let it go. Redo the city layouts for the next game. What's the great fear about releasing a possibly flawed gem anyway? Seriously, will you be able to count the number of people on one hand who'll get pissy over illogical town layouts? Your target audience gets mushy over remembrances of Ultima games.

And there's no second chances in gaming? Come on. Even in the professional arena, the name on the label might change but the people stay the same. Given that everyone's working for free, you should worry more about burnout, and I know I'd really get more tired of doing low-level yeoman's work like redoing city layouts for months than starting a new game. I imagine what killed Zero Sum was more everyone saying "fuck it, I'm tired of this shit and can probably get a real job somewhere else now that this is on my resume" rather than fan criticism.
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Messages
28,024
Walks with the Snails said:
Haven't been keeping up as much lately, but listen to obediah, seriously. When you start redoing city layouts, you're hitting diminishing returns on your work and it's time to let it go. Redo the city layouts for the next game. What's the great fear about releasing a possibly flawed gem anyway? Seriously, will you be able to count the number of people on one hand who'll get pissy over illogical town layouts? Your target audience gets mushy over remembrances of Ultima games.
It's not about changing the layout from illogical to logical. Originally, I was going to use the Geneforge engine, thus the towns were never designed properly and looked like Spiderweb towns in 3D, which looked kinda strange and horrible. That's what we are changing now.

And there's no second chances in gaming? Come on. Even in the professional arena, the name on the label might change but the people stay the same.
No second chances in indie gaming. I'm well aware that Obsidian survived incomplete and gutted KOTOR 2, but things are different for indies. We have no budgets, no financial backing. If AoD sells next to nothing, my team will be gone and I won't be able to recruit anyone else.

I imagine what killed Zero Sum was more everyone saying "fuck it, I'm tired of this shit and can probably get a real job somewhere else now that this is on my resume" rather than fan criticism.
They had real jobs. Two were professional developers.
 

Elhoim

Iron Tower Studio
Developer
Joined
Oct 27, 2006
Messages
2,878
Location
San Isidro, Argentina
Haven't been keeping up as much lately, but listen to obediah, seriously. When you start redoing city layouts, you're hitting diminishing returns on your work and it's time to let it go. Redo the city layouts for the next game. What's the great fear about releasing a possibly flawed gem anyway? Seriously, will you be able to count the number of people on one hand who'll get pissy over illogical town layouts? Your target audience gets mushy over remembrances of Ultima games.

There was also another fact: I´m redoing all the textures of the game, including those of the towns. The process requires us to re-export the models to the game, replacing the old ones. Since we already had to replace them, why not take it a step further and re-arrange the layout? Judging from the reactions to the Gate District in the ITF, I think the result is well worth it.
 

MountainWest

Scholar
Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
630
Location
Over there
Hmm, I'd join Snails if it wasn't for the fact that I believe the changes are of the major kind. No "This one sentence needs more beauty and roses to it... oh fuck, now all sentences needs more beauty and roses to them" and "if I turn this house one degree southeast it's shadow will look really cool in the sunset." It's more like "Let's tear this crap hella down, down town, and rebuild it like it should've been built in the first place."

The former is more than a flirt with insanity while the latter often leads to good things since the same mistakes won't be repeated.

I have some questions to the team of my own:

1. What would be the minimum amount of sold copies for you, VD, to begin considering doing a second game (never say never and all that shit aside)?

2. What number of sold copies would you, VD, consider a success?

3. How many copies do you, VD, think you will sell?

4. What's your conditions, Elhoim, to work on a second game?

5. Is Nick interested in doing a second game? And what's his conditions?
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Messages
28,024
MountainWest said:
I have some questions to the team of my own:

1. What would be the minimum amount of sold copies for you, VD, to begin considering doing a second game (never say never and all that shit aside)?
No idea. It's not about me as I'm employed very gainfully. It's about my team. If after getting their cut they won't see making indie games as a worthwhile occupation, that's it for them and that's it for me. For the record, I never asked them how much is enough and how much isn't enough. In my experience, each person will decide it for himself when the time comes. Obviously, it can't be approached from a "I worked for 4 years and I got 15k? I'd have made more money flipping burgers!"point of view, so some adjustments would have to be made. Each person would have his own arguments and adjustments.

2. What number of sold copies would you, VD, consider a success?
Depends on different factors. I'd say selling 5,000 copies won't be bad for the first game. Mount & Blade sold more than 10k, but that's an action game. If we are talking about the money, depends on the distribution costs. If we go through portals, that would cost us 30-40%. We'd also advertise, that would cost us too. Etc.

3. How many copies do you, VD, think you will sell?
No fucking idea. That's a new area for me so I have no way of guessing it correctly. Could be anything from 500 copies to 15,000 copies. Hardly more.

4. What's your conditions, Elhoim, to work on a second game?

5. Is Nick interested in doing a second game? And what's his conditions?
They are interested and they have no conditions. They are very passionate guys and they don't look at it as an opportunity to make money. Take Nick, for example. He works on the game each day until 2am. His university exams start this Friday and he didn't have time to study properly. That's some serious dedication and I doubt that he would want - be able to - do it all over again for a symbolic fee of 1,000 dollars for each year spent.
 

Elhoim

Iron Tower Studio
Developer
Joined
Oct 27, 2006
Messages
2,878
Location
San Isidro, Argentina
4. What's your conditions, Elhoim, to work on a second game?

Like you all know, I started doing this just because I love this game, not as a way to get rich. Now I have the opportunity to make a living out of this, but my conditions are simple: To get enough money to live until the next project comes out. The good thing is that the exchange rate benefits me. :)
 

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